Dear Editor:
In an otherwise fine Oct. 12 column about home ownership and prices - Region's Housing Costliest in Canada - Kevin Vallely makes an assumption about "the general anonymity of tower living."
We lived in a single-family dwelling on the northern edge of the City of North Vancouver for almost 25 years and we knew exactly five neighbours by name, despite having a "get to know the neighbours" party shortly after we moved in. They were all very appreciative of the gesture, but acknowledged, slightly ruefully, that they didn't see each other often, though "we used to be back and forth when the children were small."
Over the years we borrowed a neighbour's ladder, were grateful that one alerted the police to a breakin when we were away, lent garage space to another during their renovations, and took someone's mail in when they were away. We were in one home for a political reception, but that was the extent of the neighbourly connection.
Now we live in a tower, a new experience for both of us, and things are more friendly.
We know by name five of the seven neighbours on our floor as well as others in the building. One family cooked dinner for us when my husband came home from the hospital. Another brings flowers regularly. Offerings of muffins come from another.
When my husband had a minor accident in the hall, a third rushed out to help. The woman upstairs helps twice a week with a vehicle loading/unloading process. Another upstairs neighbour brings dinner from time to time. We've been to social events in two other suites and we've hosted a few ourselves. "General anonymity" it is not!
Two women organized a thank-you tea for a valued worker who was leaving the complex. When a rather confused senior moved in, her next door neighbour helped her understand how things worked and drove her to visit her husband in a care facility.
Of course there are people who remain aloof in the elevator, and their desire for anonymity is respected, but others make useful connections and exchange valuable information.
I can't believe that ours is the only neighbourly tower in the area, so I think it's time to drop that myth about the "general anonymity of tower living."
Donna Stewart
North Vancouver
